New York: The coronavirus has claimed four more Keralites in New York, taking the number of Malayalis dying in the United States of America due to the infection to 9.
The deceased are Oommen Kurian, 70, who hails from Karikkom near Kottarakkara, Eliamma Kuriakose, 61, of Palachuvadu near Piravom, Joseph Thomas and Shilpa Nair.
Three deaths were reported in the United States on Sunday. Thankachan, who hails from Muttom in Thodupuzha, Thiruvalla natives Eliyamma, 65, and Shawn Abraham, 21, lost their lives to coronavirus in New York. Shawn had been in treatment for the past one week.
Thomas David, 43, hailing from Elanthoor in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, died in New York on Thursday. He was an employee at the New York Metropolitan Transport Authority.
Kunjamma Samuel, 85, from Ramamangalam in Ernakulam district, is the other Keralite. He died at New Jersey.
In Ireland, Beena George, 58, a nurse who hails from from Kottayam's Kuruppanthara, succumbed to the virus on Sunday.
Safwan, 38, a native of Tirurangadi in Malappuram district, died in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh on Saturday. He was suffering from high fever and undergoing treatment at the Saudi German Hospital in Riyadh for the past four days.
Safwan had been working as a driver in Saudi Arabia for the past ten years. His wife, who had been staying with him since last month, is now under observation.
This is the second Keralite death emerging out of Saudi Arabia. Shabnaz, hailing from Panoor municipality in Kannur district, died here on Saturday due to coronavirus complications. He was 29.
More COVID-19 deaths of Keralites have been reported from across the world. Two from UK, and one each from the United Arab Emirates and Mumbai.
A total of 16 Keralites have succumbed to the disease outside Kerala.
The deceased from UK include Perintalmanna-native Dr Hamza Pacheeri, 80, and Sienna, a nun belonging to Missionaries of Charity. Thrissur native Pareed, 67, had died in Dubai and Thalassery native Ashokan died in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The US death toll was creeping toward the grim milestone of 10,000 as the pandemic's epicentre in New York racked up hundreds of lives lost a day and hospitals girded for an influx of new infected patients.
Most states have ordered residents to stay home except for essential trips to slow the spread of the virus in the US where over 335,000 people have tested positive, according to a Reuters tally.White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die in the pandemic, even if sweeping orders to stay home are followed.
As many as 69,000 people have died due to coronavirus across the world and over 1.2 million cases have been reported so far.
